8 Easy Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill Significantly

The electric bill is one utility that’s really high for a lot of households. According to Energy Star, just running the miscellaneous electronics in your house could account for 20% or more of your monthly utility bill! And that’s not even including water heating, heating and cooling your home, or running the appliances in your home.

So, what can you do if you’re trying to lower your electric bill? Well, thankfully, there are various things you can do to get a lower electric bill and it doesn’t mean installing solar panels (although that’s always a good idea, too).

Below, I’m going to share 8 easy ways you can lower your electric bill pretty dramatically!

1. Keep the thermostat at a set temperature

If you keep your thermostat at the same steady temperature, it uses less electricity as it doesn’t have to work as hard. Maintaining an existing temp uses less energy than going from hot to cold, or cold to hot.

One way that you can make this easy is by installing a programmable thermostat. These devices give you a lot more control over the temperature in your house, allowing you to be much more energy-efficient.

Related: How to Save on Your Heating Bill

2. Unplug devices when fully charged

When using your electricity to charge devices, as soon as they are fully charged, you need to unplug them. It uses less energy and keeps from damaging the battery of your device.

Even though most newer device chargers these days can detect a full charge and will stop sending power to a device once it’s at full battery capacity, this isn’t a guarantee. A plugged-in device can cause energy leakage and can even be a potential fire hazard.

3. Unplug devices when not in use

TVs and other electronics can use what is called “vampire energy”. They’re still zapping energy even if they are not turned on. If you’re not using them, unplug them and save the energy.

An easy way to combat this vampire energy drain is to simply use power strips in your home. Most of them have on/off switches that allow you to easily shut off power to multiple devices at a time.

If you’re willing to invest a bit, you can also consider getting a couple of smart power strips for your home. Smart power strips automatically cut off power to devices when they notice they’re in standby mode, which in turn lowers your energy usage and makes your life a bit easier.

4. Use low energy appliances

You can use low energy appliances (replace existing appliances when they get old or worn out), and it will help lower your bills month after month.

When looking to replace one of your old appliances, go for an Energy Star appliance – they typically cost the same as standard appliances but they’re better for the earth and your wallet.

5. Keep your curtains and blinds closed on hot days

When the hot sun comes into your home in the summer, it heats everything up. It takes more energy for your cooling system to cool down the house with the sun coming in.

Note that this applies in the winter too. During a sunny winter day, open up your blinds to let that heat in. Just make sure to close the blinds when the sun goes down to increase insulation and keep as much of that heat in as possible.

6. Check for leaks in your doors and windows

It’s also important to look for leaks in your doors and your windows. If cool air is getting out in the summer, or warm air in the winter, then your system is going to work overtime to keep the temperature where you want it.

The best way to find every single air leak in your home is to hire a technician to do an energy audit. This will cost a bit of money upfront, but the savings you receive in the end will be well worth it.

Still, if investing in an energy audit just isn’t an option right now, you can try to do a DIY audit instead. Here’s a guide from Energy.gov on how to do that.

7. Clean your air filters regularly

If you aren’t changing your HVAC’s air filter regularly, not only are you sacrificing the air quality in your home, but you’re also causing your system to have to work harder, which uses up more electricity. This can also cause your system to have problems that require expensive repairs, which is something you definitely don’t want.

Luckily, replacing the air filter on your HVAC system is a pretty simple task. Set a reminder at least every 3 months to check and replace your filter and you’ll lower your electric bill and increase the lifespan of your system!

8. Be efficient with your appliances

In addition to using energy-efficient appliances, you can also be smarter about when and how you use them. Don’t do laundry or run the dishwasher until you have full loads, hang your laundry up to dry instead of using the dryer, and cook more efficiently whenever you can.

Related: How to Save Money on Laundry (7 Easy Ways)

Bonus: Sign up for Arcadia Power

This is one of the coolest and easiest ways to lower your electric bill!

If you’ve never heard of Arcadia Power before, they’re a company that is working on increasing the usage of renewable energy. To do this, they offer services that allow you to contribute to that vision, while also finding savings on your energy bill.

See, they offer a neat service called Smart Rate for this. How this works is, they connect to your utility bill and then scan different service providers in your area to find the cheapest energy rates.

Once they find something, they help you switch over and save money! It’s super easy and totally hands off! Head over to Arcadia Power to learn more.

Final Thoughts

With these great ways to lower your electric bill, you can start seeing savings fast. Just make sure to stay consistent with these good habits or else your electric bill will shoot right back up again.

What are you planning to do with your new savings? Have any of your own tips to share on how to lower an electric bill?

More frugal living ideas:

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• How to Save Money on Bills and Reduce Monthly Expenses
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• How to Stop Impulse Buying for Good (In 5 Steps)